Prolonged warm weather in India?s main jeera (cummin seed) producing states of Rajasthan and Gujarat could reduce next year?s (the crop year that starts in April 2009) final output , as farmers are yet to sow the new crop. According to traders at the country?s largest jeera trading centre at Unjha in Gujarat, sowing for the new crop has not yet started in Rajasthan while it has commenced in a few pockets in Gujarat.
?Sowing has been delayed by 15-30 days due to which the new crop would hit the market only by April, thereby reducing the final output,? Manu Patel, president, Market Yard Merchant Association, Unjha, told FE. Traders estimate that the jeera output in the new crop year could fall to around 24-25 lakh bags (1 bag=55kg), almost 3 lakh bags less than this year?s estimated output. However, there would not be any shortage of jeera as the country still has around 10 lakh bags of carry-forward stocks. ?Next year, we may not see any carry-forward stock as the crop is expected to be lower,? he said.
The prices of jeera have stabilised during the last few months due to rains in Gujarat and Rajasthan in the August – September period. However, warm weather since then has slowed down the sowing process.
The price of a 20-kg bag of jeera, which rose from Rs 1,500 in April to Rs 2,450 in July, has now declined to around Rs 2,100, traders said. ?We expect jeera prices to remain steady over the next few months as we have stocks for the next few months,? another jeera trader said.